Fined €500 for throwing a cat from fourth floor apartment

Teodosio 'Dennis' Baldacchino, 50 of Mqabba and residing at Qormi, was fined €500 after admitting charges of animal cruelty after he threw a kitten from the height of four storeys.

The accused said the incident happened after a serious domestic argument with the daughter of his partner. The 10-year-old, who he had cared for as if she was his own, kicked off an argument over dinner and left the table to play with the cats. When he approached her to discuss the issue, she started hitting him, leading him to throw both his partner and her daughter out of his residence.

Describing himself as a genuine animal lover, he explained that in the angry rage he was in, he did not hit the girl but turned his anger to the cat. "I picked the cat up and threw him down from the balcony, but I swear he got up and ran away. However the poor animal was hit by an car towing a boat."

Animal welfare officer Olaf Gauci testified that the cat was found dead on some rocks opposite the accused's residence. It seemed that he had been thrown with excessive force, however defence counsel Edward Gatt argued that "not even Schwarzenegger" was strong enough to throw the cat to the other side of the road.

Gatt stated that Baldacchino was admitting to animal cruelty because his actions were wrong, however no acts of cruelty had taken place. "The man's actions were not intentional, but happened when he was blinded by rage. Similar charges can be drawn against those who work at the slaughterhouse and constantly kill animals," Gatt said.

Describing the arguments raised by the defence as absurd, Magistrate Carol Peralta held that the charge was a contravention and fined the accused €500.

The accused's partner Ritianne Borg told the court she had already left the house when the incident happened and neither she nor her children witnessed the incident. "I was later spoken to by the police over what happened. I forgave him for the argument and we're back together, however we do not keep cats any more," she said.

Inspector Jessica Grima prosecuted.